Customer Reviews

Weider Max Weight System

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We spent a while putting this together...when my husband tried it out for the first time the 10 lb. middle bar (the one that you use to insert the weights in) snapped in half. Well we wanted to cry after all of the hard work to put it together. I called customer service & they sent another part. We put it on and it has worked fine ever since. So at least you know if something goes wrong, they will fix it.

The good: Machine can do a lot of different exercises. It's priced pretty well.

No big deal: Assembly took me almost 4 hours by myself, but all the parts were there and bolts were well organized. After exercising a few times, changing the cable hookups become very cumbersome. It makes super-sets impractical unless the exercises use the same cable hookups.

The Bad: After 2 weeks of use, I snapped the 40lb resistance bar like a twig.

The Ugly: I would like to get this resistance bar replaced. When I try calling the only 2 phone numbers that I have for Weider (customer service number & sales number), I get a "number not available" message.

i had heard there was a lot to assembly with this machine and boy were they right! took 3-4 hours to get it all together. after finally getting everything together i didnt have time to lift but figured id at least give it a little tug to see how the motion differed from regular weights. i didnt even pull the handle six inches when the middle 10 lb bar snapped. i registered the product online hoping they would have my information online when i called although no one ever does. to my surprise they did and i didnt have to "confirm" who i was 8 times although i did have to call 5 times before i could talk to anyone as their automated system kept cutting the connection. i was informed that i would have to pay 6 bucks for a handling fee - not a shipping fee but a handling fee. i stated that i havent even used the machine and the product was defective and that i should incur no expense due to their defective machine. after the rep spoke with a manager since they wouldnt let me speak to the manager they waved the fee but said they would require the handling fee for any other warrantied work. i told them that if anything else breaks the system will be getting packed up and shipped back. also note that without this middle bar the machine is completely useless and checking prices for replacement parts reveals a cost of 15-20 dollars for regular bars but the wimpy middle bar costs a hundred. sounds like a good way to make money on what breaks most often and get you a second time with a handling fee "cause everyone else is doing it" which what the rep told me. hopefully the machine turns out to be what i expected but its on shaky ground. must say that bayou shipped it quickly and the box and all parts were in tact unlike many of the comments left for them.

just received the replacement 10lb center bar and i must say its twice the thickness of the one that came with the set and works perfectly. maybe just bad quality control? id up the rating to 3 1/2 or 4.

I purchased my Weider Max system over a weekend and opted for the upgrade to overnight shipping since I have the "Amazon Prime" shipping on my account. For an added $4 you can get any item overnight. I received tracking info on Sunday stating that it was shipped and should be delivered on Tuesday. Checked email Tuesday afternoon and they sent me another tracking email stating that it wouldn't be delivered until Wednesday. Received it on Wednesday.

It is a lot to assemble. I started doing a little bit each day so that by the weekend, I only had the pulley and cable system left to go. Still took me a while.

After the full assembly, I realized that the "Long Cable" only had the ball it is suppose to have on both ends-- on one end. This means that when they ship me a replacement for the cable, I will have to dis-assemble the entire cable system to re-thread it. That's annoying.

After registering the product online, I decided to give it a try. I slipped the two 80 lb. bars in with the center 10 lb. bar to see what 170 lbs would feel like. To my surprise (either I've gotten incredibly strong, or the bars don't offer the resistance they say they do) I was able to bench the full 170 lbs. On the second rep- one of the 80 lb. bars snapped in two places (on each side of where they are mounted). While showing my wife the system, with only the 10lb middle bar in place, the 10 lb. bar snapped as well.

I was cautious to read the entire manual and anything that I could find online before using the machine. I say this to assure you that I was using the machine as it is intended and not in an incorrect manner.

I tried calling the support line 3 times now (once on the weekend, when BOTH their support phone number and their support email are shut down) and then 2 times today. Put on hold indefinitely and then asked to enter my phone number for a call back after 5pm.

The machine looks great. If it works correctly after they replace my broken/incorrect parts- I'll update my review. Until then I'M DISAPPOINTED (I yell in my best Kevin Kline, Fish Called Wanda voice.)

I was very pleased with this gym. Assmbly was only about 2 hours.
I have used for 5 weeks and no issues.
The cable system changes easly for max burn.
The rods have a lifetime warranty. What I like is that the system uses verylittle foot room compared to most others, safer than free weights, especially with kids in the house. Silent machine as well I work out @ 3:00 A.M.
There very little noise, so no disturbance.

Wow, just received this product from Walmart. I ordered the Weider Max Home Gym with Preacher Curl; they sent me the Weider Max Home Gym instead. Was going to send it back because of the differences in the two models but decided to give it a try. I've had one of the original CrossBows for years with no problems and loved the workout but wanted a preacher curl attachment. Well I decided to give this one a try anyway, although it wasn't the one I ordered. The assembly did take around 4 hours as I was very meticulous to ensure I assembled it correctly. The next day was great, I completed a chest and triceps workout which took about an hour. The next day, on the second set of Lat Pulls, both of the 80 pound rods snapped and also broke the top and bottom rod retainer brackets. I don't know what they did or who's making the rods now but they break too easily. After reading the review from others about broken rods; I should have followed through and returned this unit for a refund before I put it together! The bench on this system is also covered with a real thin, cheap fabric; it shows marks easily and won't last long. I'm very dissatisfied with this unit! I'm glad I still have my old CrossBow so I can at least put it back together and be able to continue my workouts. Buyers beware!

For a lot less money than bowflex, it does job done.
Quality is pretty good but not as good as $1000 bowflex.

I've been using this product for three month, so for no complaints except the lubricant on joints. WD-40 resolved this issue with no problem.

I bought this product knowing the rods get weak over time and have to be replaced. With the lifetime warranty on the rods I thought no problem, I'll just replace them as needed free of charge. Not that easy! The warranty was through the distributor although they claim it is a manufacturers warranty. In my case Sears was the distributor. I called them today to have the rods replaced. If you do not have the original date of purchase and address and phone number of where you lived at the time you registered your product under warranty there is no way for them to look up that information and verify your warranty. You will not get any replacement. If by fortune you are able to convince the customer service rep to retroactively activate your warranty under a made up purchase date like I did you will still have to go over obstacle #2 to get them to send you new replacement rods. What that means is you have to pay anywhere from $79.99-$129.99 for a service rep to come out to verify that your parts or equipment is faulty and needs replacement. They will not just take your word for it and send you out new replacement rods. Then, at their discretion they can decide if the parts to be replaced can only be done by a certified repair technician which may cost you additional labor. They claim you can put the service visit charge towards any labor that may be needed. They could not tell me if I could replace my tension rods myself or would have to have a technician charge me to do it. It is like a never ending money pit trying to exercise your warranty on one of these, at least through SEARS the distributor in this case. Needless to say I did not bother to replace my tension rods which are so worn they have lost most of their tension for the first 30-40 percent of the range of motion on exercises. I called Weider directly to remedy the situation and 3 times I was told I had to take it up with Sears and they could do nothing about it. I spent 3 hours on the phone with numerous representatives at Weider and Sears with no favorable outcome.

As for the machine itself, the bows lose memory and resistance progressively under prolonged normal use. Pretty soon they are always bowed and you don't feel much resistance for a good portion of the exercise movement. The pulley system is not very smooth. Feels like there is a lot of friction when compared to a Bow Flex. I've tried both and Bow Flex is far superior in that respect. You can feel the pump on the Bow Flex much more easy that the Crossbow. This is probably attributed to both the rod technology and the pulley technology but mostly the pulley system I think.

Other draw backs is you cannot do bench presses with a bar. You can work your chest but it is with handles and straps instead. The max resistance is 240lbs but this feels more like about 180-190 lbs of free weights. Do not know how they measure the weight but does not feel like the true weight.

On the plus side, the frame and seat are sturdy. It is good for doing light resistance workouts with high reps for toning and circuit training. Changing the resistance and set ups for different exercises is fairly easy taking about the same amount of time as free weights in most cases. What I like most is I can more easily vary the range of motion when working out so the muscles don't develop memory in one range as compared to most machines or free weights which limit your movements to a more linear range.

Overall I would not have purchased this knowing their warranty requires you to pay money in order to get "free" replacement rods. I think the most important aspect of the machine, the resistance and smoothness, is uneven and choppy for the most part. Decent workout but not what you'd expect for the price. Clearly not a for the serious athlete or anyone looking to develop a lot of power or size. Good for the average person wanting to keep toned and fit.

The first package I received came with the box completely destroyed. The UPS driver handed me some loose nuts, screws and bolts and said he hoped that was all that had fallen out. I called Amazon and they quickly ordered a pickup and sent a new one out. Kudos for the quick service!

After reading the reviews and seeing how long this would take, I decided to wait until a Saturday morning. It took about 4 hours for me to do it myself. It says you need two people, but that's only for one section (which could easily have been avoided if Weider had changed the way the resistance bars were connected and attached to the machine) so I only needed another person for about three minutes.

I found the diagrams and instructions to be somewhat vague. I found it easier to switch from the instructions to the whole machine diagram, which took more time flipping from page to page. I also found it annoying to read that, if there were parts missing you could assume they were already attached. That didn't help when reading the first instructions about assembling the base and having to flip through the parts only to find that the base was assembled except for the feet.

All of the nuts, bolts, washers and screws came in nice little trays with a sheet to indicate what they were. It would have been handy if Weider had labeled these also with the number it assigned in the instructions.

The instructions for use are somewhat lacking also. There are extension straps which must be used, but are not always indicated so in the exercise illustrations. For example, one exercise involves pulling both handles from the lower pulley to your chest. Mine will not reach my chest although the woman in the illustration appears to be fairly close in height to me and she is not having a problem.

All that said.....once you get familiar with the machine I believe you will enjoy it. The workouts are good and the cost is great.

Package arrived, in good condition.
The instructions on the whole we pretty good.
Seemed to have a washer or two missing, but nothing major!
Still took around 5 hours to put together.
Make sure you have plenty of time for the build.
Played around a few times with it, everything looks to work ok. Nothing broked, yet!
For the price & if your just trying to lose a few pounds here & there, this seems like a good deal.